eIDAS

eIDAS is the European Union regulation on electronic identification and trust services, Regulation (EU) No 910/2014, which sets EU-wide rules for electronic signatures, seals, timestamps and related services. Because it is a regulation rather than a directive, it applies directly in every member state, giving businesses one legal framework instead of 27 separate ones. It was significantly amended in 2024 by Regulation (EU) 2024/1183, often called eIDAS 2.0, which introduces the European Digital Identity Wallet.

For signatures, eIDAS defines three levels. A simple electronic signature is any data in electronic form used by the signatory to sign. An advanced electronic signature must be uniquely linked to and capable of identifying the signer, created with data under their sole control, and linked to the signed data so later changes are detectable. A qualified electronic signature is an advanced signature created with a qualified signature creation device and based on a qualified certificate issued by a qualified trust service provider.

The legal consequences differ. Article 25 says an electronic signature cannot be denied legal effect or admissibility as evidence solely because it is electronic or does not meet the qualified requirements. Only a qualified electronic signature, however, automatically has the equivalent legal effect of a handwritten signature and must be recognized across all member states.

Take a German startup selling software subscriptions to customers in France and Spain. Its standard terms and order forms can be signed with simple electronic signatures, which are admissible across the EU. If it later needs to sign a document where national law demands a handwritten-equivalent signature, it would turn to a qualified signature from a QTSP.

A frequent misconception is that eIDAS requires qualified signatures for business contracts. It does not. Most commercial agreements have no form requirement, and national law decides where stricter formality applies. Another is that eIDAS covers only signatures; it also governs electronic seals for organizations, timestamps, registered delivery and website authentication certificates.

Our take: eIDAS gets described as complicated, but the core idea is sensible: match the assurance level to the risk. Many teams over-buy qualified signatures for routine paperwork. Understand which of your documents genuinely need them, and use simpler tools for the rest.

eSignSimple offers simple electronic signatures under the eIDAS scale, supported by an audit trail, certificate of completion and SHA-256 document hash with a public /verify page. We do not currently provide advanced or qualified signatures.